Rotating refrigerating devices



Nov. 29, 1955 D. s. JUSTICE ROTATING REFRIGERfiTING DEVICES Filed July 2, 1951 DONALD S JUSTICE INVENTOR. M

ATTORNEY United States Patent 23 915 ROTATING REFmoERATiN Eyrons Don u ic Wash atqh .D-.-- assi n. .F IJ Industries Inc.', Washington, l). C a corporation of Delaware e p t in ent on relatest t mprovememsi .-r ri eration mechanism by simplification-through he utilization of centrifugal force, and; the primary. ect -of;the invention is to providearneans of refrigerat Without internal chan ca Parts- 315. 1 9 may be pointed out.,as follQWS:

The p elim nat qnp the-ineedf n;ihterh hlh cants;

An ffi nt rrang me tof. thepr s tkhwn adap tions of the principles of mechanical.vrefrigeration so as to produce a device nexpen v e n m hfiaqt t iandi hly conservative in operaiiQ l;

To cil ta e manufact sm z iprorideeh ztha may be made ofmetal -,stau 1p ing,or;tuhing, plastic,mouldceramic e minato .o h t hhpli e ess mhl .a -ilo cost;

F er o i efii ien lewicaswneta ineqhi hg only friction mounts for one rotatable shaft, which el minates heat excessand permits the use of-a, rnini-murnpower drive.

her s an adaptations w l t e apna eut that-h s skilled in the art-as,they,follow,throughZthedetail,ofathe drawings -a partcfst i sp cificat on and... wh drawings,

gu e 1 s a hop .planiYie-wpfi he ent derid w out adaptation,;as seen in a horizontal po he dee consists of a ret ab e. t 16 1. 0. a to 1-90 centric with a hollow tubula r ng-,7 roor tair ing a refrigerant and less volatile sealer, fastened perpendicularly thereto, a secondhollow ringfi, of less c u bage,-,secured to and concentric withthmfiuk h :elld r 'thiihqll ring also of s :Qhhh hanr i .:.e cQ Q i P? Y secured to r n 9 co tain -aheeled- Pa tition block 5 (which may be omitted), followed in the direction of rotation by ambular. connector} egrtendingnadialy vfrom inside th periphe 9 9f Me sia the n a side 11 of ring 9. On the oppositee de. ofp rtitiongblock .5, tubular connector '1 extends from the .side 1 1 ofring .9 closest to ring 7 gto the sided of ring-J arthest from r The n I bll1T Q PQiQ 1 h de-r n 7 is of U-shaped configuration so as t? cuter ring 7-normal to side 12.

The internal periphery 12a of ring 7 is..conneeted to the internal periphery ,10 of'ring ,8 lays-means of a comically shaped t fiex endin in' counte -rot tio wise direction from tube 7 to .tube ,8. Tube S-is widest at ring 7 and tapers to a relatively small diameter inside tube 8. Connector -3 may be further provided with a jet orifice at .its termination. :Ring 8 is provided with a connector from its bottom portion 13 to and through the top portion 14 of ring 7 in a manner to be described in the particulars concerning Figure 2 following. The view further shows cross member braces 15, 16 and 17 which may be added in a suitable number securing the three rings together in a fixed rotatable unit, such sup-- ports being exterior of the rings and may be set at angles to form vanes as well as acquiring rigidity for the whole 9 t ng a suit le-p i t insu ecc n e h l nc for smooth operation.

ltwill benoted in Figure} that ring -;;8e;is -;elevate.d Ov n 7 i a am unt su e e toih u eiflow y gravity of liquid accumulated in ring ,8 retu 'ngft-hrough connectorv 4 to ring 7. :Thissarue connector-dis. a means of exchanging accumulated liquid from .--ring 8 ;;for ,gas accumulated in ring 7 when the entire deviceristniotionl s an sub e -.t :e tri u a1 force- :A the 1.53.

time connector 4 forms a U trap for liquid .sosthat when it is subject to centrifugal force, neither gas 21101 liquid will pass through connector .4.ineither direction.

Ring 7 contains a suitahlerefrigerant A; of comparably heavy molecular weight allowingitto-readily-Sllbmit itself in centrifugal .forcethrough connector 3. ln cent-rifugal force when the .liquid in ring .7 has acquired sufficient rotation speed that centrifugalforce-hasovercome the force of gravity, it .will pass ,into.connector Sand thus createa low pressure-zonearound the internal diameter wall ofring '7, and-thusthrough connector -1"low pressure-is established and maintained in ring-9 to=the extent of the escapeof liquid from ring v7. :In motion, evaporation :would occur E on the vertically standing surt'ace .of the liquid in ring 7.but-for; the pr esence of a .sniallamount of sealer B consistingmfa liquid ofless densityandless volatility than .the refrigerant. As an example, carbon tetrachloride has been used for a volatile refrigerant and a small quantity of wateras its sealer.

Connector Z-is a feeder conduit. designed .to introduce an. evaporable .amount of refrigerant into ring 9 commensurate with the low pressure createdin ring-,9.through connector .1. .ZEQr this purpose-connector .-2 vmay be.extendedto connect with-ring 7 insteadof ring 8 if desired. In this regard, however, it is well .tonote that ,any liquid emitted -by.connector 2 is subject to greatly increasing its ,evaporative surface.

In the first place, connector '2 may 'be provided with a nozzle emitting spray like droplets, .as shown in Figure 3 vor 'fl'ifllliikfi stream through an elongated orifice as shown in Figure '4. In the second place it will be readily understood that in high speed rotation liquid from connector 2 will be attracted to the external gperiphery 1 8 of ring 9 .at a point .opposite from the orifice of connector 2 and quickly spread, through the influence of rotation, along the path of rotation, internally ofthe peripheral of ring 9, and in this manner present a widespread evaporative surface. Connector 1 is located in the rotating direction .of ring -9 in'advance of partition block 5 for the purpose of permitting liquid from connector 2 to haveits maximum surface spread under low pressure throughout the entire ring =9 and thus,giveamaximumwalue to the cooliug influence of the process of evaporation and the potential of heat absorption through the walls -of ring 9.

While the foregoing explanation of drawings is of the structu e, it :has included function suiiiciently that the it is necessary to have a repetitious action as described,

Therefore, there must be a recovery of liquid to ring 7 from ring 8 and at the same time provide a means for placing the accumulated gas in ring '7 into ring 8 so that it may be compressed and condensed for reuse. This accomplishment is made through stopping the rotation of the device when it has ceased to take liquid from ring 7 and created its maximum pressure in ring 8. On cessation of motion and while in a stop position, recovery of liquid from ring 8 to ring 7 may be expected to speedily deliver until the gas pressure in ring 8 equals the gas pressure in ring 7 whereupon gravity will take over and the liquid will pass downward through connector 4 in exchange for gas from ring 7 to ring 8. It is obvious, then, that connector 4 must be of suitable Size to facilitate such movement of liquid and exchange of gas in order that the device may be started in rotation again promptly.

The provisions of the foregoing paragraph may be met through mechanical gearing so timed as to cause the motionless period, or by a thermostatically-controlled electric switch cutting off the power and re-connecting at the desired time.

It is obvious that the low pressure ring may be supplied with liquid refrigerant from ring 7 and thus placed differently in plane, and also cubaged differently, and/or arranged conically in variation.

Operation of the device in a plane other than that chosen for the purpose of this explanation may be had by alternating the speed from very fast rotation to a slow rotation just sufiicient to keep liquid on the outer wall of the ring it is in, and slow enough that the centrifugal force operating in the U trap of connector 4 is overcome by the pressure created at high speed in ring 8. The high speed to motionless alteration may be used however, by use of more than one connector 4.

Adaptation of the above described device may be had in a number of ways. One method is to provide for the operation of the device with all rings standing vertical so that ring 9 only is immersed at its standing base in a liquid containing anti-freeze solution, which liquid may be circulated through coils as desired.

In the use of the device as an air-conditioner, a suggested method is using a number of units placing one device on top of another in pancake fashion and sealing the space between each of the rings 7, 8 and 9 and the corresponding ring of the unit stacked on top of it, so that the series of units form one cylindrical unit externally with two cylindrical Walls internally thereof. By

angling the supports 15, 16, and 17 between the rings as heretofore described so that they become vanes, air r may be forced in either direction between the walls formed between rings 8 and 9, and air to cool ring 8 in the other direction between rings 7 and i3. Insulation may be used as needed. Through this method ducts may be provided so that the air cooled from rings 9 and air heated in cooling rings 8 may be conveyed as desired. In either of the described adaptors, liquid coolant may be substituted for air.

An object of the invention is the suitability of the device for adaptation in difficult space. That is to say that instead of accumulating the devices pancaked as described, they may be placed in series single file and geared to one or more power drives so that the series forms an elongated grouping that may be incorporated in flat spaces such as the walls of aircraft, ships, submarines, motor trucks, and refrigerated railway cars. To eliminate such gearing and provide independent units of the device the shaft may be fixed instead of rotatable. The fixed shaft is made a stator for a motor with the rotor consuming the balance of the space between the stator and ring 7 and the rotor firmly attached to ring 7.

Various other changes may be made in the device and method of its operation herein presented without deviating from the spirit of the invention and limits of the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a rotating refrigerating device three tubular rings of dilferent diameter diminishing in cubage with increase in diameter so disposed that the ring of greatest cubage and least diameter is within the other two and the ring of least cubage and greatest diameter is exterior of the other two, and disposed in planes so that the ring of greatest cubage and least diameter is in a plane different from the other two rings, and the three rings externally connected together for support with suitable means to form a center means of connection to a drive shaft, internal connectors for the three rings comprising two conduits from the ring of least diameter to the ring of medium cubage a conduit from the ring of greatest diameter through the internal wall defining the least diameter of the ring of greatest cubage, all rings and connectors hermetically sealed.

2. A rotating refrigerating device comprising: three concentric hermetically sealed hollow rings containing a refrigerant, said rings being interconnected by hermetically sealed passageways comprising: a first passageway from the inner ring to the intermediate ring, a second pasageway from the inner ring to the outer ring, a third return passageway from said intermediate ring to said inner ring and a fourth passageway from said intermediate ring to saidouter ring, and means for rotating said rings.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said rings are externally secured together by blades, said blades forcing air past said rings when said apparatus is rotated.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said rings are concentrically mounted on a rotatable shaft.

5. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said outer ring is insulated from said intermediate and inner rings.

6. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said rings are mounted to revolve in horizontal planes, said inner ring being in a plane below said intermediate and said outer rings.

7. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said third passageway is U-shaped at said intermediate ring.

8. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the end of said fourth passageway terminating in said outer ring is jet shaped.

9. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the portion of said outer ring between said second passageway and said fourth passageway is sealed.

10. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said first passageway extends from said inner ring counterrotationwise to the inner periphery of said intermediate ring.

11. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said inner ring is of greater volume than said intermediate and said outer rings.

12. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein a liquid of less volatility is sealed with said refrigerant.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,109,223 Havenstrite Sept. 1, 1914 

